The Fragments of Two Worlds (OC Story: Characters wanted!)
by Enigmental
Summary: Ten years have passed since the outbreak, now the world has divided into two, the Outskirt, the Land of Survivors, and Eden, the City of Dreams. The divide was made by a mystery that only the few know of. One world keeps it a secret, whereas the other plans to reveal it. The situation collides the two worlds together! What will come out of the smokes of this battle!
1. Prologue

(A/N): I would just like to tell you a small piece of information in this story. When full Japanese names are said through dialogue, the name will be typed out in (Last, First…Ex. Busujima Saeko). In any other case, it would be (First, Last…Ex. Takashi Komuro).

DISCLAIMER: I don't own HOTD or its original characters. All OC's, except my own, belong to their respective owners. The only thing I own is the plot of this story and my OC's (And possibly some character art for readers to visualize with.).

_**Prologue**_

A young teenage boy woke up early in the morning. Sunlight had made its way through the crevasses of the curtains, the only light source to the room. He sat up in his bed, stretching his arms outwards and looked at the time. It was early enough for him to get ready for school without worrying about being late.

The boy left his bed, uncaring about the messy state it was in, and sluggishly traveled from his room to his bathroom. He took a long shower and brushed his teeth. Afterwards, he got all dressed up for school, wearing his school uniform, which consisted of a white dress shirt, a black vest, a red tie, a black jacket, and a pair of black pants. The jacket had dark lines designed on it. The boy reached over to an important, as the private school he went to stated, accessory that went along with the uniform, a special bracelet made by the government. The bracelet was pretty simple in design, except for the small mechanical latch that linked it together.

The boy unlatched the bracelet and put it on. The instant he put it on, the bracelet tightened around his wrist and a sudden pinch made him wince. The next second, the dark lines on his jacket began to glow a light red. The boy looked down at his jacket in surprise.

Deciding to disregard the fact, he left his messy room and into the entryway. There, he put on his dress shoes. The boy was tempted to say his farewells to his parents, but them he remembered. Shaking his head, he left his home.

The outside was bright, and the sounds of activities filled the air. The boy scanned his surroundings. People were walking about, some going to work, some going to school, and some were just walking around. No cars were visible, no cars at all. The use of cars had gone away with the change of era. It was just walk here, walk there. Everything in the city was in was accessible by foot.

The boy walked to the building of his school. It was about a ten minute walk before he made it inside the building. He was met by a small group of students, all near the same age he was. They all looked confused, bewildered, and even scared. This was all new to them.

Moments after his arrival, a woman dressed in a white dress shirt and a tight, black skirt came to meet the boy and the other students. The same red lines were visible near the ends of her skirt. The woman seemed to eye each student's wrist, possibly confirming that each student was wearing a bracelet. After a nod, she spoke.

"My name is Ms. Kibiki, I'm the administrator here of Puraido High." Ms. Kibiki said. "Today is your first day here after gaining entry to Eden, correct?" The students responded in nods. "Quiet ones, huh…Well, anyhow, let us continue. I'm sure that each of you only know the route from your homes to this school and back. So, your first day here will consist of tour. Get to know the city better."

"So, a field trip?" One of the other students asked shyly.

"Yes, a field trip." Ms. Kibiki said with a smile. "I'll be accompanying you all on this trip."

"You're coming with?" The boy asked.

"Yes, who else is going to show you around?" Ms. Kibiki said.

Ms. Kibiki said that they would wait a few minutes before they would leave. Those minutes seemed to pass slowly as they all waited in silence. When the time came, Ms. Kibiki gestured for them to follow her. She lead them outside the school, and for some reason, there was few people out now. It was strange, that much the boy knew. The others thought nothing of it, as did Ms. Kibiki.

Ms. Kibiki stopped after they had reached a few meters away from the school.

"As you may all know, this city is called Eden, the city of sanctuary and peace. The city was built and founded 10 years ago by Shido Koichi, the president and savior of all those who take residence here. In fact, it was he who learned how the infectious biohazard worked and gave his own knowledge of how to protect ourselves from it." Ms. Kibiki explained. "Thus, the dome that contains this wonderful city was made. No one know how Mr. Shido made it, but aren't we happy he did."

The boy looked up at the sky. He remembered when he first arrived at the doors of Eden that the whole city was covered with a giant, metallic dome. It was amazing to think that the president was able to construct such a thing in the conditions of the new world. Unbelievable, in fact.

Ms. Kibiki began to walk again as she continued on. The students followed her. Ms. Kibiki talked about each section of the trapped city, speaking highly of all of them, which annoyed the boy. The boy thought back on the conditions he had to live through outside the city. It was a rough life. He had lost many precious things. His friends, his family…and even his soul mate. He knew he was lucky to even be inside these walls, but to think that there are still others out there that are still surviving off of luck that will never last.

"Maybe…maybe they were right…" The boy muttered.

"Excuse me!" The boy heard Ms. Kibiki say. He faced her with a bored expression. "Do you want to say something?"

The boy looked away from Ms. Kibiki to what was behind her. "Yeah, who's that?" The boy pointed at a pair of people walking.

Ms. Kibiki turned to see who he was pointing at, and then quickly faced the children. Her faced was flushed. "Ah, that is the President and his daughter. Pay your respects, children!" After saying that, Ms. Kibiki did her best to control herself as she nervously watched over to the President and his daughter.

The students follow, all except for the boy. From where he was, the boy could see that the man known as Koichi Shido was good-looking in a way. He wore a peaceful expression as he adjusted his glasses, his black hair swaying slightly at the movement. Shido wore such casual clothes that the boy would have never expected that person to be the man who ran the whole city.

The boy's eyes glanced over to Shido's daughter. Her long black hair glimmered in the artificial sunlight. She was quite beautiful too. The boy noticed that the girl's icy-blue eyes seemed to be searching for something.

The boy felt a pat on his shoulder, and he looked behind him in response. But the hooded person who patted him walked forward with only a short sentence to say. But the warning was enough.

"Get out of here…"

_**End of Prologue…**_

And so ends the Prologue. I'm sure you're all here to fill out the OC application, but let me set some things straight. I will only accept OC's sent through PM's. If you don't have an account, I suggest you make one. It's convenient to have one, like in this kind of situation. I'll also only be accepting 13 characters, 7 males and 6 females. Make an application for both genders for better chances of getting in, just don't' pair your characters up with each other, I'm only accepting one of them!

You may also notice that I didn't put up my own OC for an example. This is because I don't want your OC's history mixing in with mine. I'll make the friends, rivals, and pairings here…But don't worry, I'll make it so that you're all at least pleased with what I did…

Name: (Of course, your character needs a name, right?)

Age: (16-20)

Gender: (What would one be without defining his/her sex)

Residence of: (Outskirts or Eden)

DESCRIPTION OF RESIDENCES (DO NOT INCLUDE IN YOUR APPLICATION)

Eden – The city of dreams for those who live in the Outskirts. Citizens of Eden live life similarly to how it was before. They are safe from the creatures of the new world, well fed, and are even able to attend schools and have jobs. Their President is Koichi Shido (a.k.a. Mr. Pedo), who runs the city to how he sees fit. Even though many look up to him and see him as a hero, there are those who have grown suspicious of their "hero".

Outskirts – The Outskirts is everything outside the walls of Eden. Where the residence must fight in order to survive and see how much they can do until their luck ticks out. The lands of the Outskirt is fill with the infected and their evolved forms that developed through the long period of time of existing. Still, there are many resources to live off, and if you're lucky, you might even find a safe structure to live in. Many rumors go on about a group run by a girl looking out for revenge against Shido. The girl claims to know the truth behind everything before the city of Eden came to be.

History: (Be creative, you have the time from your character's birth to when the outbreak started and how they survived.)

Personality: (Be original people, I don't want full clones of other main characters walking about in this story)

Sexual Preference: (I'm all in for anything, we can go for just normal pairings, yuri, yaoi…Or maybe something more forbidden, incest…Wow brain, when did you decide to go mental…)

Strengths: (The pros of your character

Weakness: (Nobody's perfect! I'm looking at you, Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way!)

Appearance: (Height, skin color, hair color, eye color, other features, and for those female characters, breast size)

Clothing: (Dress'em up, why don't ya! I don't want nude people walking about in the context of my story. Oh, for those in the outskirts, give your character the clothing of one who's being going through a lot of hardships just surviving.)

Weapon choice: (Please don't go weapon extraordinaire on me. Including with guns. I'm more of a melee and hand-to-hand expert here, self-proclaimed.)

OTHER INFORMATION: (anything else I need to know…)


	2. The Kings of the Board

Hey, Enigmental here. I was supposed to update this chapter on Christmas, but I was just a few hours past my deadline…Damn…

But, anyhow, this chapter will be focusing on our two key characters, who you'll find out about when you finish this chapter. I was pleased by I did this chapter and I hope you guys enjoy the read. But before that something IMPORTANT must be announced!

Here are the accepted characters so far: (OC – Creator)

Robin Hamilton – DoubleUpOmega

Rintaro "Rin" Tachibana – JuniorxD

Gregorio "Goyo" Iban Airaldi – Diciannove

Daniel "Draugr" Miller – godlike010

Luke Warrington – CityofEvil666

Kyo Akumi – Lily Fenton Phantom

Lyra Taylor – x-Pastel-Snow-x

Ryu Orisawa – Ghost132

Nikolai "Niko" Philips – Mister Vault 101

Hoseki Kogo – Hanabira Aphrodite Soyokaze I

? – ArrowFlash

Phil Angelo – Lazersword88

Alright, that's 12 out of 13, people. There's one more spot left, and the character must be FEMALE! That is a must people! For those who still want to get into this story, you still have your chance. I'll leave this OC opening open until January 3. That's enough time, right?

More news, the next chapter will be focused on the OC's, something you can look forward to. I'll probably introduce 3-4 character at a time in one chapter. Once each character is introduce, then the action will really start!

ALSO! This chapter, along with the ones following, is taking place months before the event in the prologue. Just thought I'd tell you that so there would be no confusion.

Now, onward!

_**The Kings of the Board**_

"Saeko-nee!" A teenage girl called as she lightly knocked on the ruined slide door.

No answer came from within the room, like always, but the girl knew that Saeko Busujima could hear her. It had been like this for almost five years. The girl was just happy she wasn't acting reckless as she did before. But it still upset her.

The girl took a peek through one of the large cuts in the fabric of the slide door, which, like the many others on the door, was made by katana obtained at the Takagi residence. Through the crevasse, the girl saw a figure within the dark room, lying on the floor with her back towards the entrance. The figure's long, purple hair was spread messy around the floor. This is what was left of Saeko. All her reason was gone. She was still alive, of course, but she seemed broken.

"Saeko-nee, Shizuka-sensei cooked food again. I'll leave your portion here, okay?" Again, no response. "I'm going to scavenge the Outskirts with Rika-sensei, now…Bye…"

The girl didn't move from her spot as she waited hopefully for a returned farewell, but nothing else was said. Hesitantly, the girl walked away from the room. She began to tie her long, pink hair into a low ponytail when she noticed an older woman waiting for her up ahead. She gave the woman an unconvincing smile.

"Failed to get her out again, huh." The women said as she played with her dark purple hair. The girl sighed with a hint of regret. "Don't punish yourself, Alice. The past hit her the hardest, you know."

"Unfortunately, I do." Alice Maresato responded. "Saya-chan, Kohta, Rei-oneechan, Takashi-oniichan…If only you were there, Rika-sensei…"

"What's done is done…" Rika Minami said. "We can only look forward now. And as for Ms. Busujima, let her come to us on her own. I'm sure she'll come to."

With a sigh, Alice managed a nod. "I'll meet you outside; I need to get my stuff for the trip."

Alice continued on to her room, doing her best to keep her worries at bay. When she reached the end of the corridor, Alice opened the last slide door. Inside was a sad excuse for a room. The childish paintings on the wall was now fading away, parts of the wall were peeling as well. The only window to the room was shattered, replaced by metal bars that Rika had set up. On the floor was a futon that Alice was able to scavenge. The futon was in good condition, compared to the rest of the room. Near the futon was a duffle bag. The duffle bag was filled with clothes she used. There was a closet on the right wall of the room.

Alice made her way to the closet. Opening it, Alice looked at the two weapons and backpack inside. She pulled the backpack out and set it by her. Alice reached for the holstered police revolver. She had found it years back and it has been using it since. Plus, the ammunition was pretty easy to find in the Outskirts. The holster that held it could be strapped around her leg. She strapped it on to her left leg. Then she reached for the katana that Saeko had scavenged years ago. The blade was sheathed as Alice strapped her weapon around her shoulder.

Alice gripped the white hilt of her weapon, thinking back after Eden had risen as a refuge and Saeko was still fighting to keep them alive. Saeko had taken the time to train her for about two years before going into the state she was in now. Alice thought that Saeko had already decided to make herself like that before, she just wanted to make sure Alice was able to protect herself, seeing how she was a complete liability before. Afterwards, Rika taught Alice to shoot and Shizuka taught her how first aid.

Alice looked down at her clothes. She wore a stained white shirt, brown cargo shorts, and worn, light blue sneakers. Her shirt hadn't been washed properly for a long time, so stains of blood and dirt were still visible on it. There were also some holes here and there. The visible parts of her legs showed small scars and bruises, as did her arms. On her right cheek was a Band-Aid.

Alice reached for the bag she set aside and put it on. The red bag was light, empty in exception to the first aid kit Shizuka had given to her. After making sure she didn't forget anything, Alice left the room. Before she went outside, she took a glance towards the direction of Saeko's room. The food placed for her was gone, confirming Saeko had taken it. Alice managed a smile before opening the door to the outside.

Stepping out, Alice was welcomed by a grey sky as she looked over the balcony, which stood above the ground by three stories. Near her was Rika, who was scoping the area with her sniper rifle. Alice looked outwards to the city in which their four story shelter was within. With her bare eyes, Alice couldn't see anything that needed concern.

"I don't see any of 'Them' or bandits out there…" Alice stated.

"Got to be sure, you never know what'll happen in this ruin for a city." Rika said. "And I'm pretty sure I heard some Shriekers out there. You know how those can be…"

"I'm gonna head down to ground level, Rika-sensei." Alice told Rika as she made her way to one side of the balcony.

On the right side of the balcony, there was a hole that a ladder was set in that led to the second floor balcony. Through the second floor, one would have to go inside and enter a specific room, climb through its window, down another preset ladder, and then that person would be out in the open.

Alice went through these series of steps before she walked up in front of the old apartment building, waving up to Rika, who put on a grin and waved back. Rika then stood straight up, carrying her rifle in her arms, and climbed down to meet Alice.

As Rika disappeared into the building, Alice scanned her surroundings. All the buildings were in complete ruins. Some of them had already collapsed; others were tilted in positions that were completely unnerving for Alice. The roads were filled with giant holes, broken highways, and cars that never worked. The city that used to be call Tokonosu was nothing more than ancient ruins to the old world. Now, it was just the city of Eden and the vast land of the Outskirts.

Rika met up with Alice, smoothing out ruffles on her black combat suit. The combat suit had aged and worn with the passing time. The black was faded, stained with dirt and irremovable substances. The right sleeve was now ripped off, revealing her bandaged, tan skin.

"How long do you think we'll be gone?" Alice asked.

"We're going to head to the one of the islands near the shoreline on the other side of the city." Rika replied. "So, about a day or two…"

"Why there? I'm sure there are no supplies there." Alice told her.

"I was out scouting last week and saw a little group there." Rika said. "We're going to negotiate for supplies they might have."

"We got nothing worth trading." Alice said, doubting the plan Rika had set up.

"It's going to be a long trip; we'll find something along the way." Rika told Alice. "And if things go downhill, then we're still getting their supplies either way."

"I'm taking these are bandits were dealing with." Alice assumed. Rika replied with a grin.

After smiling in return, a screamed echoed distantly. Alice instantly looked in the direction the scream was coming from, tensing up as her hand gripped the holstered revolver. Rika stepped ahead of her, gesturing for her to relax. Alice took a deep breath and let hersseelf relax.

"They're getting closer now…" Rika said. "Let's go."

Alice and Rika paced themselves through scattered rumble and cars. The occasional fire of guns and explosions echoed, followed by more inhuman shrieks. It was ridiculous to think that even with the time that has passed, people still have not learned the rules of the new world. There were even those who still haven't accepted the world for what it was.

As the two females turned a corner into an alley, Rika halted, quickly blocking the way with her arm so Alice would stop as well. Ahead came the sounds of low moans and feet sluggishly being dragged across the concrete. Rika put a finger up to her lips and started to slowly backtrack out of the alley, Alice followed her lead.

In a single scan of her surroundings, Rika saw a building they could go in to. She pointed at the three story building, Alice nodded in response. They made their way to the building and entered. The inside was trashed; signs of it being looted were evident. There was no electricy running anywhere, in exception for Eden, so there were no lights. The only light source came from the broken windows.

The two stayed quiet for a moment, listening for anything that could be with them in the building. Nothing. No low moans, dragging feet, or evidence that anyone was occupying the building. With a sigh, Rika scanned the room for the staircase. Alice tapped her shoulder and pointed to a door with a worn sign that told them the stairs were waiting behind it.

Alice and Rika made their way to the roof, their guard still up even when they were aware that there was nothing to worry about. Once they reached the final door of staircase, Rika slowly opened the door. The roof was empty. The females set foot on the roof, Alice following Rika to the edge of the building. Rika scanned the area with her scope.

"We should scavenge for a new set binoculars." Alice said.

"And whose fault is it that our old set was traded to merchants?" Rika joked.

"Shizuka-sensei did say she needed more cooking utensil…" Alice said lowly as she looked at a broken bridge in the distance. "You think the motorboat is still there?"

"I hid it myself, you know." Rika said.

"There have been more caravans and raiders in this part of the Outskirts lately. I'm sure they're searching every inch of the place." Alice told Rika.

"But there are also more of 'Them' here." Rika said. "They'll encounter the dead, making them have to backtrack a lot more. Awhile back, I saw a whole horde of Suiciders. They're still there, too."

The two were silent again as Rika continued to check for dangers in the area. Alice took the time to do her own thing as she closed her eyes. She focused on her sense of smell as she sniffed the air, taking in the slightly foul aroma that was present.

"There are Gasers nearby." Alice told Rika. "Wish we had some molotovs."

"Watch'em burn like a wildfire." Rika said as she took her eyes off her scope. "We'll have to take the longer way around. Too many of 'Them' in the area."

Alice and Rika made their way to the ground floor, exiting the building, and then silently pacing themselves down the street. It was times like these where Alice went autopilot and reminisced about the past.

She missed them…She missed the security she felt ten years ago when Kohta and Takashi were there. She missed the motherly Saya and the rivalry between Saeko and Rei. She even missed the soft fur of Zeke that she always loved to pet. Alice remembered how she would continuously cry about their absence. Even after ten years, it was still a touchy subject for her. They were all her family after she lost her father. Now that family was cut in half, leaving herself and Rika to scavenge for resources and Shizuka to take care of the broken Saeko.

Now, Alice felt that was all she needed, what was left of her family. Or at least that's what she keeps telling herself. But within the Outskirts, is there really anyone you can really trust other than the ones you've been with for a long period of time? Alice doubted that, but she had her hopes up for such people. And, maybe, just maybe…

"Alice."

Alice went out of autopilot and looked at her surroundings before bringing her attention to Rika, who was pulling a motorboat by a chain. While she was in her thoughts, Alice hadn't realized that they had made it to the bottom of the bridge in which they hid the boat under a pile of wood and moss. Alice helped pulled the rusty boat into the green-colored water, clearly not safe to drink out of. There were corpses, both bones and fleshy, visible near and in the water. Alice used to find this all disgusting, but now it was almost completely normal.

"What were you thinking about?" Rika asked as she looked the darkening sky.

"Nothing really." Alice answered, trying to play off the question.

Rika wasn't convinced. "Eight years ago, when I told Saeko not to be reckless, I could see the vengeful expression she wore in her eyes." Rika said. "I can see those same eyes in yours…again."

Alice bit her bottom lip. "I'm…I'm not like that…"

"So says you, but your eyes say otherwise." Rika told her. "I know about what you did two years ago. Trying to organizing a group and break into Eden. It's too bad that the few who followed you-

"Stop." Alice said, a dark tone in her voice. "I…don't want to talk about that."

Rika sighed and stared at Alice for a moment. Her pink eyes were dark in expression. "Sorry, I just don't want you to act reckless. I know you want to reveal the truth behind that bastard, but we can't do anything anymore. Not without hurting those who taken shelter in Eden. That dome is their home, their world away from this one. Even if we don't agree with who they are ruled by, we'll have to agree with their feelings of security."

Alice put herself on the motorboat, lying herself on the cold metal of the boat. She felt the sway of the boat as Rika got in herself. "I'm tired, Rika-sensei…"

"Go ahead and rest."

Alice closed her eyes, letting her mind drift as she heard the start of the motor. Before she let herself leave consciousness, Alice let herself think one last thing.

'_You're wrong, Rika-sensei. No one is safe in that city, not as long as that man is there…_'

_**Within the walls of Eden…**_

The sounds of tapping echoed in the silent corridor as a 17 year old girl walked towards her father's room. Her icy blue eyes stared blankly ahead of her. Her waist long, black hair swayed slightly, brushing her denim shorts and white, frilly tank-top. The girl stopped instantly in front of a door. On the side, a name plate read, Koichi Shido. The girl knocked lightly and waited.

The door was opened by a woman. Her brown hair was messy as she adjusted her glasses. Her dress shirt was hardly buttoned, revealing a major amount of cleavage and a small amount of her red bra. The woman smiled as she looked at the beautiful girl waiting outside the door.

"Bell, it's you. Thought you were one of those perverted guards." The woman said as she wiped one of her hands on her tight, black skirt. "The President and I were just finishing up. Come on in."

Bell entered without a word, as she did many times before. And like before, that same woman was here, lewdly dressed in appearance. It was almost routine. Bell looked at the man sitting behind a cleared desk. His tie was loose around the collar of the white, dress shirt he wore as he stared at her with an innocent expression, smile and all. This was Koichi Shido, the President of Eden, the savior of its residence…Her father.

"Greetings, Father." Bell said, her voice almost expressionless, like that of a drone. Bell looked back at the woman. "To you as well, Ms. Kibiki."

"How are you today?" Shido asked.

"Fine as always." Bell replied.

Shido chuckled lowly as he got up from his seat. He walked up to Bell, grabbing her under her chin. He stared at her with a sadistic expression, licking his lips before cackling in amusement. Bell was still expressionless to the situation. It was all too normal for her now.

"Ever since you killed your brother, you've been every so obedient to me…" Shido said as he began to play with Bell's hair. "It almost seems like you're my real daughter, don't you think so, Yuki?"

"Yes, I believe so." Ms. Kibiki replied. "But still, those beautiful eyes of hers still show the hatred she has towards you."

"That doesn't matter." Shido said, his eyes still on Bell. "There's not much she can do anyways. She's just a mindless doll, only listening to what I say."

Bell said nothing. Shido let go of Bell and walked back over to his desk. He fixed himself, making sure his tie was fixed and that his dress shirt looked formal. He then returned his face from its sadistic look to a more peaceful one.

"Yuki, you should return to the school. Bell and I have things to attend to." Shido said.

"As you wish…" Ms. Kibiki said sadly, fixing herself before leaving the room.

"Now, Bell…" Shido began as he took a remote out of his desk. "I believe it's time for you discipline lesson."

With a press of one of the buttons on the remote, a sudden shock ran through Bell's body, beginning at her left wrist, where a bracelet was tightly worn. Bell didn't let out any scream of pain, but she fell to her knees, giving evidence that she was feeling pain.

"Trying to hold back your voice, huh?" Shido said with a laugh. "How amusing!"

And with a swift twist of a knob and a press of a button, Bell felt a more intense shock. She dropped on all fours, still holding back her voice of agony. While still recovering from the pain, Shido kicked Bell in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her as she rolled away from Shido due to the force of the kick.

Bell looked up at her father. His face was once more sadistic in expression. She wanted to scream, she wanted the pain to stop, but she couldn't let herself. As Bell was trying her best to keep herself together, another wave of pain came over as electricity ran up and down her body. Her body tensed as the electricity continued. Shido wanted to hear her scream, but Bell wasn't going to allow it.

The electricity stopped, and Bell went limp. Her vision was going blurry as she tried to glance over to the man she called her father. He was staring down at her, laughing lowly and sick. Then Bell felt something swell in her body, and, unconsciously, she was struggling to push herself up from the ground. She was able to do so, but just barely. That same something was still in her and her fists began to clench together. The urge to lung forward and hit the man before her grew…but she held it back, letting clenched hands go as she fell flat on the ground.

"What's the use…" Bell said silently enough for only her to hear.

Bell's breathes were heavy as the sound of footsteps echoed in her ears. She was passing out.

"It's been eight years, and you still have that fighting spirit of yours." Shido's voice went to a whisper as he leaned closer to Bell's ear. "But you're still weak. You still need me, don't you?"

Bell said nothing as she let her consciousness drift.

_**Back with Alice and Rika…**_

Alice stirred in her sleep as familiar sounds began to fill her ears. The rapid plops of the water, the aggressive yelling mixed with another sound…Gunfire.

"Alice! Stay down!" Alice's eyes opened in a mere second as she heard Rika yell out a command to her.

Alice stayed low, a bullet ricocheting off the edge of the boat, which was near her head. Alice reached for the revolver on her left leg, ready to fire back when told.

"We're nearing the shore! Stay down until we get there!" Rika shouted.

Alice looked up at Rika. Blood was flowing down her visible arm. She had been nicked by a bullet. Rika maneuvered the motorboat through the water, bullets still being sprayed at them in the dark of night. The sudden thud of the boat hitting land was Alice's signal. She quickly crawled over the side of the boat and rolled over to the metal pillar of the old bridge. The sound of bullets meeting the metal of the pillar was covered with an explosion. Alice peeked past the pillar as Rika made her way behind the protection as well.

An old car could be seen rolling down the stone slope that led to the beach they were on. The flames of the car illuminated the darkness, as did more burning cars. Alice assumed they had got caught up in a fire fight between survivors. Alice looked over at Rika, who was pulling out something from one of the pockets of her combat suit.

"I got some smoke bombs. I'll throw that on both sides of this pillar. Once they go off, I want you to run to that building over there." Rika pointed at a building far off left of the pillar. "I want you to run as quickly as you can, I'll be right behind you."

"Got it." Alice replied as she pulled out her police revolver.

"Go!" Rika threw a pair of smoke bombs on both sides of the pillar.

The bombs went off and so had Rika and Alice. Bullets were being fired at both spots of smoke. As Alice dashed blindly in the smoke, she heard something hit the sand. A slight curiosity grew in her, but she had no time to wonder as she continued to dash forward.

But not for long. Not a second step after Alice heard the sound, an explosion went off near her. Unfortunately, the explosion was able to set off a nearby vehicle, expanding the radius of the explosion. The explosion was ear deafening as both Alice and Rika got caught up in the force of the explosion, being sent in separate directions.

Alice hit the ground, the wind being knocked out of her. The explosion left her temporarily deaf and her vision had gone hazy. The lighting of the fire showed two figures walking up to her, and she knew both weren't coming to help her. Alice tried to move, but she couldn't, her body felt like lead.

The two figures' weapons rose suddenly, and Alice prepared for the worst. With her hearing slowly coming back, she heard a gun being shot, but the sound did not belong to the figures' weapon. The two figures dropped to the ground as a bullet was fired at both of their heads. A new figure walked in front of her, firing a gun at more hostiles. The gun eventually made a clicking noise, and the figure threw the weapon to the side. It seemed to scan for more enemies, and seemingly confirming their safety, the figure walked over and kneeled towards Alice.

"Hey, just hold on." A male voice said. "I'll get you to safety."

'_Kohta…?_' Alice thought.

But she knew she was wrong as she look at the eyes of her savior. They were a deep crimson, and as intimidating as they seemed, something about them seem reassuring and trustworthy.

Those eyes were the last thing Alice saw before she lost consciousness…

_**To be continued…**_

I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! If there were any mistakes that annoyingly standout, PM me about it, don't leave it the reviews. I did proof read this so there should be few mistakes.

Feel free to ask me any questions and please do leave a review, it helps support the story and makes me feel that I'm doing well at my job.

Enigmental, checking out!


	3. The Encounter

Sorry for the long wait, I was busy doing IMPORTANT things…more like playing League of Legends nonstop…So addicting….

Anyhow before I begin this chapter, I have to announce the new characters in the story. I know I said I was going to accept one OC, but I'm a total sap for great OC's, including when I know I can make the character fit in the story. So here they are:

Jackie "Jake" Little – Biku-sensei-sez-meow

Genevieve "Evie" – Forever a Savior

Iris Harvey – ArrowFlash

Kyra Nakamura – AbnormalAzn

That's that, now let's get on to the story!

_**The Encounter**_

"_Nikolai…_"

A 20 year old man lunged upward from the couch he was lying on. His arm was extended outwards as his mouth opened as if he wanted to scream out something, but he didn't let a word slip out. His tensed body relaxed as he fell back onto the cushion of the couch. The man ran his hand through his dirty blonde hair, slightly feeling the sweat on his forehead. His heart was racing from the dream he had.

"It was her, again…" Nikolai Phillips, preferably Niko, said.

Niko glanced over to his side, where a German Shepard lie. Its eyes were on him, calming looking at him. Niko flashed the dog a smile before sitting up. The dog's rested head rose as it watched its owner stand and stretch out his arms. Strands of light made its way through the boarded windows, slightly shining on Niko's fair skin.

"I'm fine, Adolf. I was just dreaming." Niko told the German Shepard, Adolf.

Niko reached into one of the pockets in his artic-camo cargo pants, pulling out a small ribbon. He stared at the ribbon, gently smoothing it out on his palm. With a sigh, Niko clenched that hand together, trapping the ribbon in his fist. He then proceeded to walk towards one of the boarded windows. Through one of the cracks, he peeked through to the outside. The sun was barely visible due to the clouds, but the beautifully tinted sky was enough to tell him it was morning. But his eyes were centered on the huge dome in the distance rather than the reddish-orange sky.

Eden, the City of Dreams, was contained inside that dome. Inside that dome were people, the ones who escaped the world outside and into the safety and security of an actual working government. Life within that dome was like life before the rise of the dead. There were schools, work, parks for children…It was a worry-free place, and giving it the title of "The City of Dreams" wasn't far off.

Though, there were still those who thought otherwise, Niko being one of them. He had all the proof he needed to suspect that Eden wasn't what everyone thought it to be. There were even rumors of a group being run by a girl looking for revenge against Eden's President, Koichi Shido. It's been two years since anything else was said about the group or the girl, but Niko was driven to find them for even he had a personal vendetta with the President of Eden.

Niko pushed himself away from the window and he walked over to the other side of the room he was in. He then grabbed the black shirt folded on top of a makeshift counter and put it on. He felt something nudge his leg as he completely put on the shirt. Niko looked down at Adolf as the dog looked up at him. Niko grabbed the tactical gloves that were placed on the same counter before kneeling down and petting his companion.

"We're heading out today, Adolf. We need to find more supplies." Niko told Adolf.

As if understanding, Adolf seemed to nod before walking off towards the entrance of their shelter. Niko then put on the gloves while he walked over to a drawer. Opening it, Niko pulled out two leg holsters, each holding a M1911 handgun. He strapped both holsters to each leg before leaving the room to the spot where Adolf was waiting for him.

Adolf sat near the exit, patiently waiting for Niko. By the German Shepard was a rusted coat rack. On the coat rack was a maroon hoodie. Set near the rack was a tactical vest, elbow and knee pads, and a sheathed katana. Each item was scavenged by Niko when he was on his lone travels with Adolf. The katana, for example, was a WWII Imperial Japanese Officer's katana. Niko was able to obtain it when he had happened upon a ruined household that he assumed to have belonged to a wealthy family. The only weapons that he could call rightfully his are the dual M1911, which were given to him.

Niko put on his leftover equipment, placing the pads in their rightful places, putting on the tactical vest over his maroon hoodie and strapping the sheath to his waist. He then proceeded on putting on the yellow and gray running shoes he used. Checking specific pockets in his vest and pants, he made sure he had the right ammunition for his handguns. After a slight nod of confirmation, Niko glanced down at his companion.

"Ready, pal?" The wagging of Adolf's tail was the answer to Niko's question. "Alright, let's go."

Niko opened the door to the outside world. A soft blow of wind entered the shelter. Niko stepped out, Adolf following close behind, and scanned his surroundings. A reinforced fence was built around the rundown household that Niko used as a home. The fence kept the dead out, being covered in barbed-wire. Outside the fence were dead bodies, products of Niko's only source of entertainment.

Adolf began a low growl as Niko opened the locked gate to the fence. Niko gripped the hilt of his sword. A few feet away, one of "Them" came into view, moving sluggishly in the direction of Niko. Unsheathing his blade, Niko walked over to the walking corpse, being cautious as always. Step after step, Niko got closer to his target. The foul smell of rot reached his nose. It was a smell he was all to use to…

With one swift movement of his arm, Niko made a clean decapitation. The headless corpse fell to the ground. Even with a clear confirmation of a kill, Adolf still growled lowly. It was convenient to have Adolf as Niko already knew. Adolf was Niko's radar. If any of the undead were near, Adolf could warn Niko of them. One of the many reasons Niko kept Adolf.

"Still more, huh?" Niko muttered, sheathing his blade. "We have to move, Adolf. We don't want to draw more of them here."

Niko drew out one of his handguns and took off in a dash, running in the opposite of the low moans and away from his hideout. During his dash, Niko raised his gun in the air, firing it once. The loud noise of the fired gun was able to catch the undead near the area, which was Niko's plan.

Mere seconds after the gun shot, a loud screech reached Niko's ears. The scream was deafening, but Niko was still moving. Niko checked on Adolf, who was close by his side. Niko heard the low whimpers of his companion, but, like himself, Adolf kept going.

Niko assumed that the scream may have attracted more of "Them" in the area. Planning ahead, Niko drew out his other handgun. Niko looked back behind him. There were a number of twenty of "Them" chasing him. Nineteen of "Them" were normal runners, but there was one that stood out.

The odd one out ran on all fours. It was small in size, close to the size Adolf. Yet the Thing was not an animal, it was a morbid corpse of a human, mutated due to the long years of living. Its knees were bent inwards, a large amount of bone sticking out behind the spot where the knee should be. Its body seemed to be all bones as well. There was hardly any meat under its rotting flesh. Its dead flesh clearly showed the bones within. Some bones were sticking out of the Thing, as in the spine and ribs, making it look a bit beastly in appearance. It even had bones for claws. Its head was as deformed as its body. Its jaw was gapped, leaving it incapable of biting down on its prey. But even with its incapability to bite, the shriek it produces was ear-deafening. That same shriek attracts any of "Them" in the area, making it a dangerous target. This was a Shrieker.

More of "Them" started coming into view ahead of Niko, all attracted by the Shrieker's scream. Niko took aim, both his guns raised and aiming in nearly opposite directions. After taking a quick moment to calculate his shots and amount of ammunition, Niko began to fire down on the undead. Each shot accurately hit its mark as years of practice and experience would produce. Niko kept his aim in front of him, slightly ignoring the larger amount of undead tailing behind him. He was waiting for the right moment to wipe out the one behind him as he searched for that opportunity ahead of him.

Niko took a quick glance back. The undead behind him were pretty spread out with the Shrieker leading the horde. Niko holstered one of his M1911 and reached inside one of the pockets, pulling out a grenade. Niko was trying to think of a way to group "Them" all closer together so he would be sure he would get all of them with the explosion.

The opportunity he was looking for came to him when he spotted the large pit meters away from him. He had come across the pit many times before during his travels, so he knew that the pit was deep enough to hold most of the undead behind but still be able to climb out of it without a problem.

"Adolf, split!" Niko ordered.

Adolf barked in response to the order and ran around the pit. As "They" always did, the undead ignored the German Shepard, their brain-hungry drive focused on Niko. The Shrieker let off another scream as Niko jumped into the pit, the runners close on his tail. "They" all began to fall in after Niko, who was now progressing out of the pit in succession.

"Take this!" Niko shouted as he unpinned the grenade and tossing it into the pit.

Niko dived away from the pit as the explosion went off. Rotted limbs flew out of the pit. Niko took a deep breath as he got back to his feet. He looked inside of the pit. Dead flesh lie everywhere. Niko took his attention away from pit. He scanned the area for Adolf. Adolf was still close by, and Niko could see the snarl on the dog's face as it growl.

"Shit-" Niko began as he found himself being forced to the ground.

The Shrieker somehow lived through the explosion, and it now had Niko pinned to the ground. The Shrieker let out a full frontal scream right in Niko's face. Taking the full scream right on, Niko couldn't help by scream in pain. He felt as if his head was splitting. Niko struggled to get free, but the claws of the Shrieker pinned Niko's hoodie to the ground, preventing him from escaping.

In the nick of time, Adolf tackled the Shrieker off of Niko, knocking the mutated monstrosity a few feet away. Niko, struggling to his feet, felt lightheaded. He was temporarily deaf, unable to hear the barking German Shepard. As he was able to stand for a moment, Niko fell on all fours, vomiting from the dizziness. When the vomit subsided, Niko began looking for his missing M1911 pistol as he got to his feet, struggling to keep himself together. Spotting the gun not too far away from him, Niko staggered towards it.

As he was reaching for his weapon, the Shrieker had its sights on him again. It went in for a charge, but was cut off by Adolf. Again, the Shrieker paid no attention to the dog blocking its way, its focus was Niko. By this time, Niko had picked up his gun. He was now on one knee, to support himself due to the lightheadedness, and aiming down his target.

"Adolf, move..." Niko ordered.

Adolf dashed to one side, opening the path to the screaming monstrosity. Without a moment of hesitation, the Shrieker charged at Niko, screeching as it neared its target.

"Shut up…" Niko muttered as he pulled the trigger.

_**Moments ago, not too far away…**_

A teenage girl, about 16 years in age, stood with a fighting stance as she wielded her butcher's knife in one hand. Around her were three bandits, surrounding her with their own weapons in hand, varying only in melee weapons, such as a pipe or chain. The bandits wore sick-minded grins as they surrounded their prey. The girl gritted her teeth at her luck. Near her feet was a fresh dead body, an ally of the bandits'.

"Looks like ya killed Jim." One of the bandits said. "Ya know you're going to have to pay for that. And I know the best way for ya to do so."

The bandit licked his lips sickeningly as his eyes seemed to stare up and down the girl's body. The other bandits laughed as their little circle began to close around the girl.

"She's a little skinny, but I guess she'll do. What do you think, Maroy?" Asked one bandit to another.

"I call first." The one known as Maroy said.

"Back off!" The girl said as she franticly swung her weapon about.

One of the bandits was able to grab on to the torn hood of the girl's black hoodie, pulling her off her feet. As she hit the ground, Maroy kicked the knife out of the girl's hands, disarming her. The knife slid away from the girl's reach. Now having her unarmed, the bandit who pulled the girl off her feet pinned both her arms to the ground with his own strength. The girl struggled, but it was no use, her strength was no match for his. Maroy sat on top of her, leaning down towards her face. The girl could feel the foul breath of the bandit. Maroy stared down at the girls face, from her sky-blue eyes to her pale complexion. He slowly slid his hand up from her stomach to her long, platinum-blonde hair, playing with it as he whispered to her.

"Time for your punishment…" Maroy whispered.

"Stole the words right out of my mouth." Came another voice, belonging to none of the bandits.

Before Maroy could sit up, two gunshots were fired. The two other bandits fell to the ground, their blood staining the ground. Maroy turned to face the newcomer, but was kicked off the girl. The kick had hit Maroy across the face, where the pain was now rising. Wincing at the pain, Maroy looked up at the 17 year old boy who had him at gunpoint. The morning sun shined on the ash-blonde hair of the boy as his brown eyes looked disgustedly at the bandit lying before him. Without another thought, the boy shot a bullet into Maroy's head, ending his life.

The boy faced the girl, who still was lying on the ground. Her eyes wore an expression of surprise instead of suspicion or shock. The boy sighed, holstered his weapon, and then he walked over to the girl and offered her a hand.

"Name's Luke, Luke Warrington." Luke told the girl.

The girl accepted the slightly tanned hand offered to her, and Luke helped her up to her feet. After wiping the dirt of her hand to her torn grey sweatpants, the girl faced Luke again.

"Robin Hamilton." The girl said. "My name is Robin Hamilton."

Luke smiled as he looked at his watch. "Nice to meet you, Robin." Luke said, now reverting his attention back to the girl he was speaking to. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Robin replied. "Thank you."

Luke nodded in response. "By chance, are you traveling with any groups?" Robin shook her head. "Alone, eh?"

"More or less." Robin said as she looked down at her fallen attackers.

"You want to travel together?" Luke asked.

"Hm?"

"The Outskirts is a dangerous place, as you can tell, and I've been searching for trustworthy survivors, so-" Luke went on before being interrupted.

"Okay." Robin answered.

A bit surprised, Luke grinned. "I guess it's settled. Let me just get my cap that a dropped as I was running over here." Luke pointed a baseball cap that wasn't too far away.

After a short walk with Robin following him, Luke picked up his cap, wearing it backwards. The cap was as worn as the elbow and knee pads he wore. Under the tactical vest he wore was a black hoodie, covered in grime and a few scrapes here and there. Along with his attire, Luke wore black cargo shorts, going slightly past his knees, and combat boots. The watch included, Luke wore two accessories, the other being a dog-tag with his name etched into it.

The grey track pants Robin wore went down to her high knees, where it was torn. In a similar condition, the black hoodie she wore went down to her mid-thigh before the rest was torn off. Around her neck was a kind of makeshift necklace.

During the walk, Robin had picked up her weapon, gripping it tight in her hands, prepared for any danger that was to come. Luke also had a melee weapon, which was a combat knife held on his vest. The two walked together, at points and times making small talk. Along the way, Robin had found the time to fix her hair into an odango style just to distract herself from the silence. As the continuous silence went it on, it was finally broken by a gunshot, which was later followed by a distant scream.

"A survivor!" Robin exclaimed.

"And a damn Shrieker." Luke said. "We have to move if we want to see that survivor alive."

Robin nodded in agreement as the two began to sprint off, hoping they would make it in time to save whoever fired the gunshot they heard. As they ran, Luke drew out his P99 pistol and a suppressor. Equipping the suppressor to his handgun, Luke aimed down his sights as the undead came into few.

Silenced shot after shot, "They" fell to the ground like dominos. The undead were hardly paying any attention to Robin or Luke; "They" all seemed to be attracted to the commotion ahead. In the distance, a few more shots could be heard, followed by another scream of a Shrieker.

"You think we'll make it?!" Robin asked.

"We damn better." Luke replied. "This guy must be crazy, causing so much noise."

Not too long after the gunfire had stopped, an explosion boomed. It wasn't too far away from Robin and Luke's location, so both could see dark smoke rising out of a kind of hole a few yards away.

_**Back to Niko…**_

"Shut up…" Niko muttered as he pulled back the trigger to his gun.

A click came from the gun. Niko cursed under his breath as he realized he had no ammo left in the gun he was using. Trying to quickly pull out his other gun, Niko realized that he may not be able to make in time to even draw out his other weapons. The Shrieker leapt at Niko, Adolf trying to make it time to save his owner.

A flash in the distance caught Niko's eye. "Adolf, stay back!" Niko demanded as a covered his face.

Blood sprayed on the sleeves of Niko's maroon hoodie as a bullet entered the skull of the Shrieker. The force of the bullet was able to knock the lunging Shrieker to the side, just barely hitting Niko. Letting out a long exhale, Niko lowered his arms, still having his guard up as he cautiously reached for his other gun. In the distance, Niko could see two people running over to him, both younger than himself. He eyed their weapons as they got closer. The girl held a type of knife and the boy was equipped with a silenced gun. Adolf barked at the two strangers as they were just a few feet away. Staggering to his feet, Niko gestured for Adolf to be silent, Adolf following his order.

"You alright?" the boy asked.

"I'm still debating whether I should be thankful or not." Niko said, still ready to draw out his weapon.

"We were just helping you out." The boy said. "And we also wanted to know if you would join our group?"

"Sorry, kid, but I'm going to have to decline. Whoever sent you two, you can tell them that I don't work with anyone unless I get my pay first." Niko told them.

"This is the group." The girl said.

Niko looked at the two teenagers, a surprised expression on his face. He was surprised they had made it so far by themselves. They clearly looked like they have been surviving for a long amount of time. He took in their features a bit. Niko noticed that the boy had eye bags, signs of no rest. And of the girl, Niko saw that she seemed a bit thin.

"Look, man, we've been through a lot." The boy told Niko. "I mean, Robin here was almost raped just not too long ago."

Niko bit the back of his bottom lip was he looked at the girl, Robin. Robin gave him a nod, confirming Niko that what the boy had told him was true. Niko gave himself amount to think. He released a sigh as he looked from the boy to Robin.

"I have a shelter nearby." Niko told them. "You can follow me there and stay for the night, we'll discuss about the matter of your little group here once we get there."

"Really?" The boy asked.

"I do owe you for the save…" Niko said. "Anyways, you can call me Niko." Niko offered his hand for a handshake.

"Luke Warrington." Luke said as he shook Niko's hand. "And this here is Robin, as I mentioned before."

"Nice to meet you, Niko." Robin said.

"Likewise."

_**Nearby…**_

A lone figure stood on a building, watching a life or death situation below. The figure was dressed in a ragged cloak. The figure watches as the four beings below walked with their backs to it. The figure found the beings interesting as a smile was shown on its half visible face. The wind blew strong at the height the figure was at, pushing down the hood from the figure's head. White, neck-long hair danced with the breeze of the wind.

_**To be continued…**_

Well, I hoped you enjoyed the read. Again, I apologize for the long wait, addicting games be addicting, friends. Please do leave a review, it helps me a lot. If you haven't already, don't forget to favorite the story and follow.

Enigmental, checking out!


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